Snapshot
by queenofthelooneybin
Summary: A series of unrelated Sweets/Zack drabbles. Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

His lover is in mourning and he can't comfort him.

Booth is 'dead' and Zack is actually upset. Sweets can tell. He isn't going on and on about whatever and his eyes are shiny with unshed tears. And all Sweets can do is mutter sentiments. He wants to hold his hand, hold Zack but he can't.

He feels helpless.

They ride with Hodgins and Angela. She is in the front of the car and they are squeezed into the back. At a light, Sweets reaches to squeeze Zack's hand. He doesn't let him and gave him a familiar look.

_N__o, not now._

Zack wasn't ready to tell anyone. And Sweets was fine with that. All he wanted was Zack. L

ater, when they found out everything, they all would lament. But Sweets would weep in silence much later. If anyone should have seen anything it should have been him. But he hadn't.

xxx

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	2. Chapter 2

Zack is different outside the lab.

He's softer and a little less analytical. When they are alone, he smiles. Its a real smile not his aha I found something grin that he gets in the lab. Sweets loves to make him smile. When he slides his hands up his shirt and his fingers ghost along his skin, Zack smiles.

When they are out, far from people they know, Zack holds his hand. It could happen at any time. When they are browsing in the bookstore or shopping for groceries. Their fingers lace together and their palms press together. It feels amazing. The simple action makes their relationship feel real. At work they have to act like they don't feel anything for each other. It isn't because they are ashamed. But when people know, you have to share with them. And they want to keep it to themselves for a little while longer.

And having Zack all to himself is all Sweets really wants.


	3. Chapter 3

When Zack tells him about the man before him, Sweets feels the color drain from his face.

Then Zack tells him the whole story.

It had been a one time thing, nearly two years ago. The man is straight. In fact he is in love with a woman. But that night had a lot of factors. Like they were drinking after a hard case. Zack had to walk the man home and the man had asked to stay a little while. Beer, anger and pent up lust had made the other man grab Zack and soon they were on the couch, Zack the recipient of all of Booth's frustrations.

They never spoke of it again. Zack only looked back on it with shame.

"Did you have feelings for Booth?"

"For a short time. After we had sex, he lost all appeal because he had none of the qualities I want in a lover.

"And you do."


	4. Chapter 4

Angela knows.

Sweets is certain. It's the little things. Like whenever its just the three of them in a room, she finds an excuse to leave. They take the moment every time. A greedy kiss, a frenzied touch. Sometimes she talks about a romantic place, and she always looks right at him, urging him to take the hint. Sweets always does.

No one else even suspects. They are all too caught up in their own lives. Cam has her administrative duties while Brennan wouldn't notice anything short of an atomic bomb. Booth has his almost disturbing single-minded pursuit of Brennan and Hodgins is so in love with Angela he wouldn't notice them unless they were on fire. But Angela has the gift to what others could not. She saw love and gentleness everywhere. It was what gave her hope.

When the time came to tell people, Sweets planned for Angela to be the first to know. She would appreciate what they had better than the rest.


	5. Chapter 5

It happened in a whisper.

Sweets was home, in his kitchen. He was making dinner: angel hair pasta, meat sauce and garlic bread. A bottle of red wine was on the counter, unopened. The clock on the microwave read 7:32.

Funny how what details stuck.

Zack had been held up at the lab. One of the interns had tipped over the beetle container and 27 of the little guys had scattered before anyone could salvage the scene. Cam made everyone stay until they were all rounded up. Angela stood on her desk until Hodgins had assured her that it was safe to come down. Cam had told Zack to go home after 15 of the beetles were gathered up. The intern (a bit player whose name everyone kept forgetting) could do the rest. Zack had missed the meaningful glint in her eye and her tone. All he had heard was the order, which equaled freedom. He had grabbed his coat and headed out the door before she could take it back. When he got to his boyfriend's apartment, he snuck up behind him and put his arms around his waist.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"How was your day?"

"The beetles escaped and Cam found some interns in the janitors closet. Yours?"

"Booth admitted how he feels about Brennan."

"Really?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. Then Zack leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

"I love you."


	6. Chapter 6

Sometimes he wondered.

The church he had been raised in had always said being gay was a sin. That he would burn forever if he allowed himself to give in to such urges. So for many years, he had felt a feeling of impending doom following him wherever he went,

But when he was with Lance, the feeling of impending doom didn't follow him. It was like what they felt blocked it out and for that he was grateful. They had been friends for a while, put then he had started to pull away, afraid of what he felt for the other man. For a while, he had ignored Lance the way Booth ignored him. At least Booth had a reason for it. The incident had been only once and he was probably more ashamed then Booth was. It had been a moment of weakness for both.

Lance had made the first move. One night, they had been alone at the diner, left there by Angela and Hodgins. He had just asked.

Why do you ignore me now?

And he had answered.

Because of what I feel.

Outside, under the cover of darkness, Lance had kissed him and all had been right from then on.


	7. Chapter 7

Hodgins finally figured it out.

He just wished he hadn't the way he had.

For a while, Zack had been acting weird, for him at least. Not coming home until three am, or not coming home at all. When he was with him, Zack was always checking his phone. Like he was waiting for someone to text, call him. It was normal behavior for someone with a new flame. But Zack wasn't seeing anyone.

Was he?

So he had followed Zack out of the main house when he had gotten an mysterious call one night. To his surpise, Zack just went to his apartment. Hodgins was confused and waited for him to come out. But rather, someone went in.

Sweets.

What the hell is going on? Hodgins thought. So he waited for a while, thinking maybe Sweets had a file to drop off or something. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. So he went up there. No one answered to his knocks, so he went in.

And saw more of Sweets and Zack than he ever wanted to see

When he got over the shock, he would be happy for them.

Right now, he needed to wash his eyes.

With bleach.


	8. Chapter 8

Christmas was going to be a problem.

Sweets wanted to stay in town. He didn't have any family elsewhere. He also wanted to be with Zack. It was their first major holiday together and he wanted the fantasy. Waking up and opening presents. The whole thing.

But Zack was going to go home to Michigan. He did that every year. Why should it be different? His mother would go on the warpath if he missed the holidays at all. So he was stuck. No on in the Addy family knew that he was gay. It wasn't that he was afraid to tell them. They were accepting people. Mom would probably squeeze him half to death and Dad would welcome Sweets as another son.

The problem was that once he told them, it would become real. And Zack had never felt this way about anyone, and it scared him a bit. What if they ended the relationship and his parents were upset as well? A whole new list of concerns was brought up by Christmas. His family was the prominent one. They were…unpredictable to say the least.

Zack hated Christmas.

Xx

Up next: Christmas?

Oh and my BFF geekroyalty and I have set up a twitter account. Get the scoop on our stories and lives. Link is on my profile.


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